Corban Baseball's Nic Coffman signed with MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks on Wednesday, becoming the sixth Warrior to sign a professional baseball contract.
PHOENIX, Ariz. – The Arizona Diamondbacks announced on Wednesday that the team has signed Corban University baseball standout Nic Coffman (Portland, Ore.) to a professional contract. Coffman signs the contract as an undrafted free agent after missing out on being selected in the 2015 Major League Baseball (MLB) Draft. With the signing, Coffman is the sixth Warrior baseball player to sign an MLB contract.
Coffman follows some Warrior legends who signed professional contracts prior to him: Rich Dorman ‘2000, a RHP who signed with the Seattle Mariners; Brian Nelson ‘2007, an outfielder who signed with the Texas Rangers; Jamie McGraw ‘2008, an outfielder who signed with the Texas Rangers; Jason Braun ‘2009, a RHP who signed with the Cincinnati Reds, and Jacob Kopra ‘2014, a RHP who signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim just last summer.
“I’m really excited to be a part of the Diamondbacks organization, and I can’t thank Corban enough for what it did for me, and I want to especially thank my coaches and teammates from this year,” said Coffman. “I feel incredibly blessed to have been given this opportunity and have a huge appreciation for everyone who’s helped me.”
As a part of the Arizona Diamondbacks organization, Coffman will play for the hometown Hillsboro Hops, the Minor League Class A Affiliate for the Diamondbacks. He is the first-ever Portland-area native to play for the Hillsboro Hops.
Watch the video of Coffman’s signing with the Hops here.
After transferring to Corban for the 2015 campaign, Coffman shined for the Navy and Gold on the field during his only season with the Warriors, registering a team-best .347 batting average. In 40 games played, he totaled 52 hits, a team-leading 40 RBI, and a Warrior-best eight homeruns. He also racked up nine doubles and two triples while scoring 32 runs throughout the campaign. Always providing power at the plate, Coffman registered a team-best .593 slugging percentage and also totaled 20 walks on the year while nabbing four stolen bases.
Also a threat on the mound, Coffman proved to be one of the best two-way players in the NAIA-West Grouping. While registering a 3.45 ERA in 15.2 innings pitched, he allowed just nine hits and six earned runs while striking out 14 on the season. He made five appearances, including three starts, earning a 0-1 record for the 2015 campaign. In addition, he led the team with an opponents’ batting average of .170.
“I am happy for Nic,” said Corban University head baseball coach Jeff McKay. “One of his goals coming to Corban was to develop his skills to put himself in a position to have a chance at the next level, and he has done that. We will miss not having him for his senior year, but we wish him nothing but the best in professional baseball. We will look forward to following him during the season.”
For more information about the Arizona Diamondbacks, please visit the team’s official webpage.